Sunday, February 26, 2012

Something New: The Balm's Stainiac

Well, the product isn't new but I'm new to lip and cheek stains. A few years back when I first got into the beauty scene I heard endless raves about Benefit's Benetint, a red stain which could deliver a natural flush to your complexion and pout. I never tried it but a few months ago I purchased a set from The Balm and Stainiac seems to be their version of Benetint.

The tube is pretty much like that of a lipgloss and it retails for $17 at Sephora and The Balm's website. I found mine in a set at TJ Maxx so check out your TJ Maxx and Marshalls for discounted The Balm products!

Out of the three shades that The Balm makes, I have Beauty Queen. Upon initial swatching, I was quite alarmed by the bright fuchsia red color. The consistency is gel like, light and easy to blend.

To my relief, the stain blended out into a natural, just pinched flush and did not look as scary as it did upon initial application. I found that I had a good amount of time to blend out the product before it sank into the skin.

A major issue I have with this product is that it stains my fingers a lot more than where I want the product to be. It seemed to me that the best way to apply this would be with my fingers but I always end up with neon fingers that won't easily wash away. I have to layer this product (especially on my lips) to get the color intensity I want so my fingers end up getting the most staining. I suppose this is a problem that plagues other stains so perhaps it's just me being picky.

In the above photo I am wearing the stain on my lips and you can see that it gives a very natural look. You probably wouldn't be able to tell I have anything at all on my lips if I hadn't told you. It was comfortable to wear and the sweet berry fragrance was pleasant. If you have very lightly pigmented lips and want to add a natural tint to them, this would be perfect for you. If you have pigmented lips, this probably wouldn't show up well on you so I'd say pass.

This looks great! The gel consistency looks much easier to control than an pigmented liquid tint.I've tried benetint and always go to it (I feel soo self conscious when I wear colored products on my lips =.=)If you can still find the mini benetint/posietint/____ set...try it! although I think benetint might be sheer with one layer it can build up. and since it's sheer and a liquid formula with a brush application, I find that I don't need to spread it with my fingers. I just quickly rub my lips together after I apply and it's good :D

I think this will last me a loooong time (since I rarely reach for it anyway) so no need to get Benetint XD It piqued my interest when I first found the beauty community but I never got around to purchasing it haha

I actually didn't wear the stain on my cheeks in that photo, only my lips >.< I feel like this wouldn't sit well on top of foundation and whatnot so this would be great for those who have a very pale complexion. My cheeks get very red throughout the day so this stain would be pretty useless for my cheeks :P

The finger standing is really annoying because it STAYS there despite washing my fingers very thoroughly. I don't think this would look good over a full face of makeup but for people with nice skin who don't wear foundation they might like this.